Page 47 of Stopping Short
“Is he always in business mode?” I turn my attention to Dad before motioning to Mason.
“Always. I don’t think he knows how to shut it off.”
“Neither do you,” Mason mumbles.
My phone rings, the sound making me jump. I let out a sigh of frustration and swipe the device off of the seat next to me. My eyes widen as I find a photo of Evan staring back at me.
“It’s Evan,” I whisper.
“Answer it, but put it on speaker phone,” Dad instructs me.
He spins around in his seat so he’s facing me and Mason does the same thing. I let out a long breath and press accept.
“Hello?” I ask, my voice trembling the entire time.
“Harper! Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for days and you didn’t answer. I even came to your house.”
“I…” I trail off and glance at Dad.
He pulls up a note on his phone and types out a response.
“I had to go home. Something came up,” I read what Dad wrote on his phone for me to say to Evan.
“Oh… I was wondering why I didn’t see you. Your house was awfully quiet.” Evan’s voice softens, but what he says puts Mason on high alert.
He jumps out of the car and runs around to the back of the house, without shutting his door. A moment later, the automatic light on the driveway goes out and we’re plunged into almost darkness. The only light is coming from my phone, casting an eerie glow around the inside of the SUV.
“Did your power just go out?” He asks, a little more frantic.
“Yeah… how’d you know?”
“Oh, uh… because mine did too… I wonder why. That’s a little strange,” he stumbles over his words, making me frown. This is so weird.
Make an excuse and hang up. Dad shows me the words typed out on his phone.
“I need to take a shower before I go to bed. It’s been a long day and I have to be up early tomorrow.”
“Sure. I’ll see you around campus?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“I want to see you tomorrow, Harper. I’ll stop by your house.”
“No! How about I meet you at the coffee shop near campus? I could be there at… six?”
“Ok. I’ll see you then.”
I press end as Mason slips back into the car and softly shuts the door. He glances at me with a worried expression. I swallow hard, almost afraid to ask what’s going on.
“Why did you turn off the power?” I whisper.
“He said your house has been quiet. That he hasn’t seen you. He’s been watching you, sweetheart,” he says softly.
“He asked if her power went off right after you turned off the breaker,” Dad adds.
“He doesn’t know we’re here. We need to find the cameras he has hidden before we turn the power back on… And we need to get inside before he shows up.”
“We should move Harper’s car out of the garage and put ours inside,” Dad suggests.
